6.  Vegetables should be stone dry.

7.  Succulent vegetables and fruits contain from 80 to 95 per cent of water, and when dried sufficiently still retain from 15 to 20 per cent; so it is a good plan to weigh before and after drying as a check.  The product should lose from two-thirds to four-fifths of its weight.

8.  Work rapidly to prevent souring of vegetables.

9.  Small vegetables, mature beans and peas and small onions may be dried whole.  Larger vegetables should be cut up so as to expose more surface for drying.

10.  The slicing, cutting and shredding should be done before blanching, with the exception of corn, which is cut from the cob after blanching.

TIME-TABLE FOR DRYING VEGETABLES

[A] BLANCHING BY STEAM, TIME ON MINUTES

[B] ARTIFICIAL HEAT TEMPERATURE 110 deg.  TO 130 deg.  F.
    APPROXIMATE TIME IN HOURS

[C] FAN—­NO HEAT APPROXIMATE TIME IN HOURS

PRODUCT    |      PREPARATION       |    [A]    |   [B]   |  [C]
|                        |
ASPARAGUS  |Wash and cut into pieces|  2 to 4   |  4 to 8 |12 to 24
|                        |           |         |
BEANS,     |                        |           |         |
GREEN      | Wash; remove stem, tip |           |         |
STRING     |       and string       |  3 to 10  | 21/2 to 3 |20 to 24
|                        |           |         |
BEANS, WAX | Wash; remove stem, tip |           |         |
|  and string; cut into  |           |         |
|  pieces or dry whole   |  3 to 10  |  2 to 4 | 5 to 8
|                        |           |         |
BEETS      |  Leave skin on while   |[1]20 to 30| 21/2 to 3 |12 to 16
|        steaming        |           |         |
BRUSSELS   |                        |           |         |
SPROUTS    |Divide into small pieces|     6     |  3 to 5 |12 to 16
|                        |           |         |
CABBAGE    |Remove all loose outside|           |         |
| leaves; split cabbage  |           |         |
| and remove woody core; |  5 to 10  |  3 to 5 |12 to 24
|     slice or shred     |           |         |
|                        |           |         |
CARROTS    | Wash; slice lengthwise |           |         |
|  into pieces 1/8-inch  |     6     | 21/2 to 3 |20 to 24
|         thick          |           |         |
|                        |           |         |
CAULIFLOWER|Clean; divide into small|           |         |
|        bunches         |     6     |  2 to 3 |12 to 16
|                        |           |         |
CELERY     |   Wash carefully and   |           |         |
|  remove leaves; slice  |     3     |  3 to 4 |12 to 16
|                        |           |         |
CELERIAC   |Clean; pare; slice into |           |         |
|    1/8-inch pieces     |     6     | 21/2 to 3 |20 to 24
|                        |           |         |
CORN, SWEET| Blanch on cob.  From 12 |           |         |